Slowing ocean current caused Earth to spin faster
Monday, February 13, 2012 - 10:01
in Physics & Chemistry
(PhysOrg.com) -- Most people probably didn’t notice it, but back in 2009, the Earth spun around on its axis a tiny bit faster than usual, making for some slightly shorter days. It only happened for a couple of weeks and during that time, the days were only shortened by 0.1 milliseconds, but still, the whole idea seems a bit unsettling. This speed-up apparently came about due to ocean currents surrounding Antarctica suddenly slowing down for reasons that aren’t wholly clear. Researchers from NASA’s JPL, in conjunction with colleagues from the Institute of Earth Physics in France, spotted the phenomenon and after looking into it, have published their results in Geophysical Research Letters.